Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson

Listen to Jessica Simpson’s In This Skin, and you will hear many things: Love. Romance. Sexuality. Sweetness. Maturity. Peace of Mind. Yet chief among the things you will hear is the sound of a woman becoming her own person and staying true to her heart.

Cowritten by Jessica — with contributions from Fran Gold, Damon Elliott and Trina Harmon, and production by Ric Wake and Rob Fusari, In This Skin shines a light on a side of Jessica that she’s never had the opportunity to let free. “I’ve been searching my soul for things I wanted to sing about and things I wanted to say and so I came up with this record, “Jessica explains. “When people listen to this record it will make them happy.”

That’s because the songs on In This Skin reflect the happiness and growth that Jessica has been experiencing. Now married to long time beau Nick Lachey (of 98 Degrees) and firmly in control of her life and creative output, Jessica has reached deep inside to come up with an album that may well be most personal of her career. In This Skin might be Jessica’s third collection but, in terms of emotional honesty and stylistic range, it is, in a real sense, the first album that’s truly her own. That’s because In This Skin marks Jessica’s debut as a songwriter and her lyrical and musical influences fuel the album’s thematic journeys. “I’ve wanted artistic control for a long time but in the past I wasn’t able to get it,” she confesses. “Being in charge of your creative destiny is beautiful for any artist, especially someone like me who wants to sing about positive things and to inspire others. This time I really wanted to make an album that was real and organic and that you could listen to all the way through and maybe be inspired to fall in love or follow your dreams. ”

That sense of liberation is abundant on the album’s first single “Sweetest Sin.” Written by hit maker Diane Warren and produced by Ric Wake, “Sweetest Sin” is unabashedly carnal and, as Jessica notes, a marked change from the giddy teen pop that launched her career. “I’m not dancing around this time,” she laughs. “I’m not wearing that head set mic ever again in my life!”

A celebration of love, her marriage, and making love, “Sweetest Sin” signals a new artistic direction for Jessica. “You’ll definitely know I’m a woman after hearing this song,” she offers. “It’s a deeply sensual song but it’s also romantic and recording it was one of the most natural things I’ve done. It’s so great to be able to sing about things you’re going through because it makes you relate even more to the music which makes that music beautiful.”

In This Skin is filled with both beauty and love, with lyrics drawn from personal experiences and journal entries to create an album resonating with a captivating reality. Just listen to the bittersweet ballad “You Don’t Have To Let Go.” “I wrote that song for my dad,” Jessica says. “It was so hard for him to walk me down the aisle and for him to handle the idea that I was getting married and, in his eyes, leaving. So I wrote this song for him about our relationship and all that he sacrificed for me.”

“Underneath,” an emotional ode to the ups and downs of romantic love, was penned during a turbulent period in Nick and Jessica’s relationship when the pair embarked an ill-fated separation. Jessica cites the love and support of her fans as the motivation behind the album’s title track’s message of determination. Set to a gentle acoustic-laced groove “In This Skin” is, according to Jessica, about “…being comfortable in your own skin, being worthy and feeling beautiful. I wrote in the liner notes that this is for all the fans. I want them to listen to the song and let the lyrics serve as an inspiration.”

Inspiration and spirit have always been crucial to Jessica. From the beginning of her career she has aimed to be more than just some cutie pie teen star: she’s always invested her songs with positive outlooks and lived her life in a manner that stays true to her beliefs.

Jessica Simpson first made her mark in the world of contemporary Christian music. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Jessica was sharing bills with gospel great Kirk Franklin and Ce Ce Winans while still in junior high. Word of the then-teen’s phenomenal voice and stage presence soon filtered out of the Christian circuit and, in the late 90’s, Jessica signed with Columbia Records. Sweet Kisses, her major label debut, was released in 1999 and spawned the smash singles “I Wanna Love You Forever,” “I Think I’m In Love,” and “Where You Are.” Following the release of her debut, Jessica hit the road, wowing audiences worldwide with her soaring emotion-packed vocals and high-energy stage presence. “It was an amazing time for me,” Jessica recalls. “I was 17 and seeing the world, doing what I loved and doing it in a way that felt right.”

The title track to Irresistible, her 2001 follow-up, was a crossover smash, charting on the Hot 100 (#15), the Rhythmic Top 40 (#12), Top 40 Mainstream (#3) and Top 40 Tracks (#5).

Since the release of Irresistible, Jessica’s been working on her acting résumé. In addition to her recurring role on “That 70’s Show,” Jessica can be seen in an episode of UPN’s “The Twilight Zone.” Meanwhile, Jessica and new husband Nick Lachey will share their lives with fans in an upcoming reality TV series on MTV.

But music remained one of Jessica’s truest loves and, when it came time to make In This Skin, she was ready for this vital next stage in her career. “I knew the sort of songs I wanted to sing and write,” she says. “Songs that are uplifting and real.”

With her new album, Jessica Simpson comes into her own as a woman and refines her ever-evolving voice as an artist. Collaborating with a crop of up-and-coming writers and producers, Jessica has created an album that sounds fresh and rings absolutely true. Her message? “It’s about love and confidence and loving where I am in my life.”

She is bright, beautiful and blessed. She possesses a voice that is capable of expressing the heartache of first love and the wondrous possibilities of an everlasting tomorrow. Her live shows have been marked by a youthful exuberance coupled with a seasoned professionalism that belies her 19 years. In an era of pre-fabricated wind-up divas, she is refreshingly honest, remarkably focused and positive, and true to her self, her beliefs and her heart.

She is Jessica Simpson and Sweet Kisses, her Columbia Records debut, is an appealing and satisfying blend of pop, R&B and gospel-infused music that heralds the emergence of a bright new star.

“Recording Sweet Kisses is the culmination of a dream,” Jessica offers, “not only because people will get the opportunity to hear my music but also because I’m hoping that my fans will also see that you can be a good person and lead a good life and still have fun!”

The first single is “I Wanna Love You Forever,” a soaring, passionate ballad written and produced by Sam Watters (of Color me Badd) and Louis Biancanella (Mariah Carey).”The song is so beautiful,” exclaims Jessica. “It’s so romantic and that’s the kind of singer I am. I love passion and I love love because I am such a sucker for that sort of thing. It’s a song about having a love for someone for the rest of your life. That can apply to family, a guy, a friend, whomever. That universal emotion really appeals to me.”

Another track that touches Jessica’s heart is “Where You Are,” which pairs Jessica up with 98 Degree’s Nick Lachey. “I toured with 98 Degrees this past spring. It was my first tour ever and it was just an incredible experience! Watching 98 Degrees perform every night, I had this idea that I should record something with Nick and when this song came along it was perfect!”

“Where You Are,” another emotional ballad, also speaks to universal feelings. “It’s a song, quite honestly, about death but it examines it from a positive, spiritual way,” Jessica explains. “I think anyone who’s gone through the sadness of that sort of loss will be able to draw peace and comfort from this song.”

Jessica co-wrote “Heart Of Innocence,” which she dedicates to her future husband, no matter who he might be. “I believe in one true love,” Jessica declares, “so I really wanted this song not to be cheesy or preachy but rather just truthful, because I do believe in abstinence and commitment. The lyrics come straight from a dream I had and are so personal and real to me, because I know that innocence can be sexy and that you can be confident and at ease with your sexuality and your womanliness without having sex. I am.”

It’s not just on powerful ballads that Jessica shines: she also rocks the house on tracks like “Woman In Me,” which features labelmates Destiny’s Child. “‘Woman In Me’ is a very inspirational song because it address issues of self-esteem and self-worth. It’s so important to me that people love themselves for who they are and that they appreciate all of the beauty that’s in their souls.”

It’s the desire to make her music more than just cute radio fodder that drives Jessica, who has viewed singing and performing as her life’s work since she was a young child growing up in Texas.

A native of Dallas, Jessica first developed her singing skills in the local Baptist church where her father, a psychologist, also served as a youth minister. When Jessica was 12 she auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club. Jessica’s talents and presence took her all the way to the finals, where she admittedly freaked out during her last audition. “I froze, she laughs, “but the experience made me even stronger and more convinced that I was on the right path.”

The following year while attending church camp, Jessica, who had always loved to sing along with the radio, delivered an a cappella version of “Amazing Grace” for one of the camp’s guest speakers, who was in the process of launching a gospel music label. Jessica signed to the label and worked on an album for three years during which time the small label folded. The setback didn’t deter Jessica one bit and she took the material she had worked on and began to hit the Christian Youth Conference circuit, singing her inspirational and upbeat odes to audiences of upwards of 20,000. With her grandmother paying to press and release her ill-fated record, Jessica and her father hit the road, with her father speaking and Jessica singing to delighted crowds throughout the country. After the show Jessica’s homemade album would be sold and very quickly this tiny project took on a life of its own. News of the teenage Texan with the grown-up voice soon began to filter out of the religious world and into the pop music realm and it was only a matter of time before the major labels expressed interest.

“I was determined that I be able to stay who I am if I signed to a non-Christian music label,” Jessica says firmly, “and when I met with Tommy Mottola (Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Entertainment) he was genuinely impressed with my beliefs and was completely supportive. I remember singing for him and he told me, “you are going to change the world with the power of your heart and your music. When he said that, I knew that I had a home with Sony.”

Already an established star in the Christian music world, where she often appeared on bills with Kirk Franklin, God’s Property and Ce Ce Winans, Jessica’s next challenge came in taking her faith and spectacular voice to a wider audience.

“I knew that in pop music I had more of a chance to reach more people,” Jessica offers, “I knew that somehow, it was all in God’s plan for me to make the music I make and to touch the people.”

As one might expect from an artist so focused, this is one young woman who refuses to be content with the flash and burn of teen sensation status. “I feel like I can bring a freshness, no matter what age the person listening to my music is. And I think that freshness and that innocence is something that is missing from a lot of female singers. I’m certainly not denying that I’m young, but I’m not fluff.”

Filled with undeniable spirit and bolstered by a soaring sumptuous voice that defies comparisons, Jessica Simpson is a young woman who can not be denied. “I know it sounds crazy, but I just love this record so much! And the thing that I’m most proud of is that when you listen to it, it’s like you’re on an emotional ride. My music takes you somewhere and, at the end of the day, that’s what’s so awesome about making music. That it has power and it’s something I’m so proud to share.”


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